Aerosol Huffer Catches Fire When Tasered By The Police
Aug 23, 2009 5 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
LANCASTER, Ohio — A man who caught fire earlier this week when police shot him with a Taser said Thursday that the police action against him was not warranted.
Daniel Wood faces charges that include resisting arrest and assaulting an officer stemming from the incident Monday night outside the K-Mart store on Memorial Drive.
Police were called to the area after receiving reports that Wood was inhaling chemicals from an aerosol can and running through traffic.
Officers arrived and deployed a Taser on Wood after he became combative, police said.
In a phone interview with 10TV’s Cara Connelly, Wood admitted that he was using the chemical to get high, but he denied police claims that he was combative.
He said the shot from the Taser somehow ignited, causing burns to his body.
“My complete right half of my upper body is burned,” Wood said. “I have bandages from my wrist all the way up my arm and across my right pectoral.”
Police speculated that the Taser’s current ignited some of the leftover chemicals from the aerosol can. They said officers quickly extinguished the flames.
Wood’s father, who did not want to be identified or appear on camera, said he took pictures of his son after the altercation with police. He admitted that his son was breaking the law, but he said he wanted police to be more careful with Tasers in the future, Connelly reported.
Police said on Wednesday they would take a closer look at the incident.
“We are going to conduct an internal investigation on this usage and it may require follow up training and additional business with this officer,” said Lancaster police Chief David Bailey.
The Tasers were issued to Lancaster police officers last week, but police said officers received four months of training before they were allowed to be used the field.
